20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know About Seinfeld

20. The Pilot Episode Was Very Different

A television pilot is a stand-alone episode to sell a potential series to a network. Because the writers and the studio may have very different ideas on how a show could work, the pilot is perceived more like a blueprint since it may have drastic differences from the series if it's picked up.

For the Seinfeld pilot, the show was actually called The Seinfeld Chronicles and focused more on how the titular character used his experiences and friends for his comedy sketches. Another difference is how Seinfeld's wacky neighbour, Kramer, is called Kessler.

However, the biggest difference between the pilot and the show is the complete absence of the character, Elaine Benes. The studio said there was no way the show would be green-lit unless it included a main female character. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was cast as Elaine in the very next episode.

This first episode is so different from the rest of Seinfeld, it is not considered canonical. When the show was picked up, the pilot didn't air again for years. The first episode became so obscure, Louis-Dreyfus didn't know it existed until 2004!